Managing Strategic Change | AQA A-Level Business (7132)
Managing Strategic Change
- 144 questions
- 10 subtopics
- Strategy, assessed on all three papers
- Paper 1, Paper 2 and Paper 3
Managing strategic change is examined on Papers 1, 2 and 3.
It covers the kinds of change a business faces, the resistance it meets, the culture it has to work with, and the project planning used to implement a strategy.
Sample questions from Managing Strategic Change
Answer each one closed book first, then open the answer.
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Types of change and Lewin's force field analysis
Define incremental change.
Show the answer
Small, gradual adjustments to existing practices over time, allowing adaptation without major disruption. -
Flexible organisations, restructuring and delayering
Give three examples of flexible employment contracts.
Show the answer
Part-time contracts, temporary contracts, and zero-hours contracts. -
Reasons for resistance and overcoming it through education, participation and support
What does 'participation and involvement' mean as a method of overcoming resistance to change?
Show the answer
Including those who resist change in the design and implementation process, giving them a role in shaping the change. -
Overcoming resistance: negotiation, manipulation and coercion
What risks might arise from using manipulation and co-optation to overcome resistance?
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If employees discover they were manipulated, trust is damaged, leading to greater resistance, cynicism, and potential long-term relationship breakdown. -
Organisational culture and Handy's four types
How quickly are decisions typically made in a power culture?
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Decisions are made rapidly due to the centralised nature of authority. -
Recognising cultures and what shapes them
What is the key distinction between power culture and role culture in terms of decision-making?
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Power culture relies on a central figure making rapid informal decisions, whereas role culture relies on formal hierarchies and established procedures. -
Changing organisational culture and the difficulties
How can new leadership lead to culture change?
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New leaders bring different values and expectations that may require changes to the existing culture. -
Leadership, communication and structure in implementation
Why is allocating resources appropriately a key leadership responsibility during implementation?
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Appropriate resource allocation ensures that the necessary people, finances, and materials are directed to where they are most needed to achieve strategic objectives.
The 10 subtopics
One subtopic is one session. Work down the list.
| Subtopic | What it covers | Questions |
|---|---|---|
| Types of change and Lewin's force field analysis | Internal and external change, incremental against disruptive, and driving and restraining forces. | 13 |
| Flexible organisations, restructuring and delayering | Restructuring, delayering, flexible contracts, organic and mechanistic structures, and knowledge management. | 14 |
| Reasons for resistance and overcoming it through education, participation and support | Kotter and Schlesinger's four reasons for resistance to change, their first three methods of overcoming it, and when each method is appropriate. | 21 |
| Overcoming resistance: negotiation, manipulation and coercion | The remaining three methods, what each achieves, and the risks that come with them. | 16 |
| Organisational culture and Handy's four types | Why culture matters, and the power, role, task and person cultures. | 20 |
| Recognising cultures and what shapes them | Where each culture is found, and how leadership, size, industry, history and workforce shape it. | 12 |
| Changing organisational culture and the difficulties | What prompts a culture change, why employees resist, and what leadership must do. | 13 |
| Leadership, communication and structure in implementation | The part leadership, communication and organisational structure play in carrying out a strategy. | 12 |
| Network analysis and reading a network diagram | What a network diagram shows, how activities are represented, and how it is amended. | 10 |
| Float, the critical path and the value of network analysis | Calculating total float, identifying the critical path, and what network analysis is used for. | 13 |
How the guide is worked
Answering a question from memory stores it far better than reading the answer again. The guide runs that as a fixed procedure on one subtopic at a time, about twenty minutes a session.
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Step 1 · Closed book
Cover the answers. Work through one subtopic and write down what you can. Leave blanks where you have nothing.
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Step 2 · Open book
Go back to the top. Read each printed answer and write it out in full, including the ones you had right.
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Step 3 · Closed book again
Same questions, same order, from memory. The gap between pass one and pass three is the session result.
Read the full method, the return schedule and the research behind it.
Nearby topics
AQA A-Level Business Active Recall Guide
Every topic, not just this one. 1,819 questions with their answers.